I was really caught by surprise by this book, right from the opening scene which sets a wonderfully odd and haunting tone. McPhail explores themes of loneliness and isolation with really creative use of colour and economy in his illustrations. At times the drawings are minimalist and subtle, at other points the frame is completely saturated in colour. This variety brilliantly conveys the emotional journey of the characters as they search for connection. Look out for some scathing parody of hipster/gentrification culture as well!

In this graphic novel, we follow Nick.
Nick is an illustrationist for a weekly newspaper. His whole life, he found making meaningful connections with other people, very difficult.
To him, social interactions feel like he's playing a part at a theater.

He realises simple things that used to give him joy, no longer do that. And even when he does things he likes, he tends to feel shame afterwards.

He constantly tries to connect to other people and when he - kind of accidentally - makes a connection to a plumber, by asking him about his life and seeming genuinely interested, he begins to have positive feelings about human connection.

He constantly tries to reach out to his sister and his mother, but as he is new to this whole thing, these intentions are met with "It's okay, you don't have to pretend like you care".

He keeps on insisting and his attempts finally have a positive outcome, as his nephew grows to view him as a father figure and his mother opens up to him about having cancer.

Nick along with his sister, accompany their mother throughout her journey as a cancer patient and when she unfortunately dies, he is more devastated at what parts of her he is never going to discover, now that he has finally stopped seeing human interaction as a performance, but his mother isn't with him.

This is a lovely graphic novel about a detached man in his 20s, mental health, human relationships and family.

I loved the dialogue and the fact that this whole subject is treated with respect. I also loved the art style, both the black and white and the coloured illustrations. This one also features great representation of being a single mother (both Nick's mom and sister are single mothers) and an interracial relationship, since Nick dates a black woman, Wren, a very smart and quirky character.

The only downside to this, were the blank pages throughout the story. At the beginning, I thought it was an artistic choice, but near the end, I could tell that there was something wrong with the e-book itself. Other than that, this was a positive reading experience.

I received a free e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young man tries to fight his social insecurities and focuses on people's 'in'. His journey of building a conversation and exploring about things is beautifully sketched in this graphic novel.

I could feel his insecurities. Trying to start a 'meaningful' conversation with a neighbor, trying to speak up in a group meeting— these are some very instinctive behavior for some people. But for a few people, these are the hardest things. 'In' shows the dilemmas inside one's head.

There are special things in this book. People who are not much socially expressive tend to imagine a lot in their heads. Like that, the book contains some pages with graphical illustrations without words that express what goes inside one's head. And these particular illustrations are colored with deep hues. So, the colors play in reader's mind and brings up a particular impression.

One thing about the illustration that irritated me— the eyes of the characters were sketched with big-round-serious-scary tone  at many circumstances. Which was to emphasize on the situations but I was uncomfortable looking at those eyes. Also, since the sketches were light, sometimes it was hard to track the outlines.

At few places, I demanded a bit more details of "how it happened" too....

In overall, it was a good read. It took no time to finish the book! The plot had variations and surprises and kept me inside the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me this unique ARC! I enjoyed it.

A poignant graphic novel about breaking out of self-absorption to make meaningful connections with other people

I think I experienced a bit of synesthesia while reading In by Will McPhail.

The book is largely done in sketch-like black and white, the characters little more than outlines on a white background, except for moments when Nick, the main character, experiences real human connection. As soon as he makes that connection, the pages burst into fully painted, dynamic scenes, and I oftentimes felt like I could hear the sounds of crashing waves or the swell of some imaginary film score in my head. It made the whole thing quite extraordinary.

Nick is an illustrator, disaffected and disconnected from everyone in his life. He goes to a bar and performs sadness just to see what it might feel like. While he is there, he meets a woman and goes home with her, but feels nothing. Nick can’t seem to stop holding everyone he knows at arm’s length, not even his mother.

And then, one day, he decides that he needs to say something that matters instead of having another meaningless conversation. He takes a small step, and says something real to a plumber who comes to fix his toilet. In a moment, everything changes, and a whole vista of emotion and experience opens up in his mind. It’s like Dorothy stepping into Oz or a movie changing aspect ratios to widescreen. It’s thrilling and invigorating and over too soon.

Nick spends the rest of the book chasing that feeling, trying to open up and let the world in, sometimes with mixed results. When Nick starts uncovering this hidden well of feeling around him, not everything that comes inside is good or happy. The moments of color are an effective emotional gut-punch as the story continues down more fraught pathways.

One of my favorite parts of the book is a weird little story Nick tells about a slide at his favorite water park where he sees something unexplained and possibly supernatural. It gives the story just the right amount of spooky unreality, a touch of deathly sunlit horror.

I loved this book and would recommend it highly.

This was such a unique and touching story. While it felt like the story didn’t really begin until about halfway through the book, once it started to pick up I was really loving it. The art was gorgeous and uniquely done, especially when it came to the colorful interludes. I love the exploration of grief within this book and I wish there had been more of it. A sweet story overall!

I really, really loved this. The book was laugh-out-loud funny, which turned out to be a brilliant disguise so its making me cry would be a real sneak attack. The art, with its combo of beautiful backgrounds and hilarious backgrounds, realism and ridiculous bubble eyes, fit perfectly.

I admit I didn't finish this book. Because I am an elementary school librarian, I thought this would be an interesting graphic novel for teens. I didn't realize until shortly into the book that it was more geared for adults. Thanks to NetGalley for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I think this made me a better person?

This story is told with such pathos and humor that it is staggering, yet simple. I laughed aloud throughout the book and was constantly struck by how well the levity bled into seriousness. The book is a masterclass in weathering detachment while never feeling preachy.

IN was a really insightful graphic novel. The existentialism that was so relevant throughout the novel is something that so many of us experience on a daily basis. I think it was really well portrayed by the author in the fact that we as readers could relate to it so much.
And the whole idea around the fact that how we are so distanced from even our dear ones - oh that was so profound. Despite the close relationship we have with them, there is a vast ocean that engulfs all the real connection and communication that we might have had with them, easily.
A stunning and fantastic work!

Beautiful and heart breaking. I guess I identified with the slightly existential aloof nature of the book and it sort of resonated in that way. There were some parts that made me smile and the dialogue and thought processes kept things moving and gave a real sense of the characterisation. Overall I would recommend to biographical graphic novel fans.

"In" gave me a lot to think about and probably because the graphic novel centres itself around connections.
Genuine, human connections are something that Nick struggles with and he truly wants to experience what they may feel like.

Nick lives his life like he is the main character of his story, but he so desperately wants other people to be part of his story too.

The grey and white drawings almost emphasise his exhaustion at just flitting through life without those human connections. He knows they are important, but he also doesn't quite know where to start.

The moments where we do get colour in this novel feel like an explosion on the page. I was always taken aback by the panels in colour because they invited the reader to see the inner workings of Nick's mind other than the outside perspective of the black and white world.

Nick grows in this story, he learns he is needed and has valuable contributions to make to the people around him and those that care for him.

While I don't think the story itself is anything new or revolutionary, the way "In" presents itself and is told hits all the major themes I look for in a coming-of-age story. "In" reads like a coming-of-age story for adults and I adored it for that reason.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an e-arc to review. All opinions are my own.

Excellent and quick graphic novel read. Beautifully done story and unique combination of colorful and grey illustrations.

"In" is a story about how the main character, Nick, is trying to create connections with the poeple around him. He doesn't want to always perform around others and have small talk, instead he wants to start creating real, genuine bonds.

It is a powerful graphic novel through and through. The way the illustrations change from black and white to full coloured panels when Nick bonds with other characters is absolutely beautiful. Those coloured panels show the journey that you have to endure in order to achieve that raw feeling of closeness.

This novel gave me a lot to think about.. In this moment of my life I can say that I identify with the version of Nick from the beginning of the book in some ways. Nick realised a little too late how important it is to genuinely care about the people in your life and maybe it should be a lesson for everyone.

I also liked how the story portrayed the effect the society has on us as individuals, the dry humour that turned into ache at some point and the true, not sugar-coated mind of humans.

I'm giving it 4 stars because I only wish some of the relationships Nick created were more contoured and deepened. And maybe I wanted it to be longer because I need the life lessons right now.

This book surprised me. I was not sure what to expect but it packs an emotional punch. The end message of what has not yet happened is a real kicker.
There is humour and the cultural references made me smile.
The illustrations are superb, in particular the colour sequences. Nick’s emotional and imaginative journeys suck you in with their colour and beauty.

Provided by the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for an honest review.

I feel so honored that I was able to read this awe-inspiring work of art. I tend to not feel much. I'm not proud of the fact, but it's true. Yet, without attempting any cheap emotion-grabbing gimmicks, McPhail was able to make me both feel and relate to our lead character, Nick Moss, in far less words and fewer pages than any novel.

The artwork is sublime. The limited, but expertly used color was (at the risk of being redundant) so expertly done. The dialogue was great and real, but it was Nick's inner monologue and the ever-changing names of the chic coffee shops that sealed the deal for me.

Nick Moss is a millennial. What's worse, he's a millennial artist. And he, like most of us, is missing an authentic connection with other people. He recognizes that most conversations and meetings are mere formalities. They don't matter. They're a waste of words. They're a waste of time. As Nick realizes this, he doesn't refuse to enter in like so many of us do. Instead, he presses in as uncomfortable as it may be. And when he does, the world around him shifts. The blacks and whites on the page blossom into color. For a few moments, Nick gets to explore the beautiful landscape around him. These moments are certainly the highlights of the graphic novel.

In is a perfect story that is perfectly told and I wish everyone would have the chance to not only read it, but to learn from it as well.

I thought the illustrations in this book were amazing and easy to look at. All the characters were very raw and you could see yourself in them. I especially liked the main character. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a short, no stress read.

Wow.
I was not expecting for this graphic novel to make me feel so much and yet it did.
Such a good, real, accurate, punch-you-in-gut portrayal of loneliness from how we live our everyday lives, to how hard a simple conversation can become in an attempt to establish an honest connection. (loved page 73 where the main character is reflecting upon his conversation with the plumber who comes over and what it could have been had the right words in the right order had been used.)

I really really loved it and would recommend it to everyone who can stomach an exposure to all these raw and real emotions.

Trigger warnings: depression, loneliness, hopelessness.

I would love to purchase it and I must say I almost never say that for graphic novels.

5 stars from me!

I found something very cute with the illustrations. All the characters with their own faults felt very real.
Probably because I have found myself in some situations as the main lead, I thought it was very relatable.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for giving me this book in exchange for a honest review! / ¡Gracias a NetGalley y Houghton Mifflin Harcourt por darme este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta!

English Review:
5 / 5 stars
In is an incredible graphic novel that tells us the story about Nick, a guy that is looking for the secret of human interaction in coffee shops, other people, songs, etc. During this process, Nick faces a lot of obstacules, like the lack of his self-confidence, the fact that he doesn´t know how to change, and a girl he meets in a bar named Wren.

I think the adjective that will describe this story the best is beautfiful: this is a beautiful story from beginning to end, specially because of the way the novel handles important subjects like love, hope, etc. Nick is really present throughout the story and we get to know him and his insecurities about really well; the way Nick sees and talks about life itself is really inspiring and I think that´s what draw me into the story more and more. The difference between really living and just existing is portraited in this book so well that it is the most cautiveting thing I´ve seen in a novel for a very long time.

There really isn´t much I can say about this book that will make it justice of how great it is, and, in conclusion, I´m really proud to call it the first graphic novel I´ve read.

Reseña en Español:
5 / 5 estrellas
In es una novela gráfica increíble que nos cuenta la historia de Nick, un chico que está buscando el secreto de la interacción humana en cafeterías, otras personas, canciones, etc. En el proceso, Nick se encontrará con muchos obstáculos, como la falta de autoestima, el hecho que no sabe como cambiar y una chica que conoce en un bar llamada Wren.

Creo que el adjetivo que describiría a la perfección es hermosa: creo que es una hermosa historia de principio a fin, especialmente por la forma en la que la novela trata temas importantes, como amor, esperanza, etc. Nick está muy presente dentro de la historia y llegamos a conocerlo y a sus inseguridades muy bien; la forma en la que Nick ve y habla sobre la vida en si es muy inspirador y creo que eso fue lo que me atrajo a la lectura más y más. La diferencia entre lo que de verdad están viviendo y lo que simplemente existen son manejados de una manera cautivadora, algo que no he visto pase mucho en la literatura de los jóvenes.

La verdad no hay mucho que pueda decir este libro que le haga justicia a tan increíble libro que es una maravilla. En conclusión, estoy muy orgullosa de finalmente animarme a leer una novela gráfica,